


Shake the Stars

by idrilhadhafang



Series: Revival Series [3]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby Ben Solo, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Parents Leia Organa and Han Solo, Pregnancy, Redeemed Anakin Skywalker, Star Wars AU - No Palpatine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:13:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27633925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: Ben Solo is born into a completely different galaxy.
Relationships: Leia Organa/Han Solo
Series: Revival Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938064
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	1. Positive

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LieselSolo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LieselSolo/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I own nothing. 
> 
> Author’s Notes: Call this a bunch of character pieces for the Revival verse.

When Leia found that the pregnancy test was positive, she couldn’t say she could describe the emotions that assailed her. Joy. Terror. What kind of mother would she be? How would she raise a child?

Especially having a father who was once the Emperor’s personal kath hound...

She spoke to Han. At least it made her feel better. Knowing that he was as scared and overjoyed as she was. Wondering what kind of father he would be. 

“We’ll do beautifully,” Han said. “Give the child a better galaxy than we got. Promise.”

***

Of course, Leia had to tell Anakin about it. Not exactly something that she was looking to, but then again, she supposed that he deserved to know. That and there was the real reason — she needed advice. 

Advice. The easy route would be to think of Bail, of Breha — and there was that. It didn’t completely eliminate the nerves that frayed and gnawed at Leia. Not really. 

Anakin had come back from one of his training (re-training?) sessions with Luke. Leia couldn’t help but wonder what it was like, adjusting to life outside the suit. 

”I didn’t think I’d have to ask you this,” Leia said, “But...what can you tell me, about raising my child?”

Anakin paused. He seemed, in that moment, mournful. Reflecting on better days. Had he ever imagined that he’d become this, Leia thought. She had overheard him talking about how he had hurt Leia’s mother on Mustafar. The question was why. 

”I can’t say,” he said. “I mean...I never really got to know you or Luke. I didn’t really do anything right by you.”

”How did you not recognize us?” Leia said. 

”I’d lost hope,” Anakin said. "When your mother died, I thought her child, for I didn’t know you and Luke were twins, had died with her. That I had good as killed them both.”

”You could have listened to her,” Leia said, “My mother. You could have left.”

”I was afraid.”

”Of what?”

”If she had turned against me. If she and Obi-Wan had wanted to kill me.”

Leia nodded. “I admit you were a monster,” she said. “But you didn’t deserve to nearly burn to death. I’ve been...debating naming the baby. There’s Jacen, there’s Bail...”

“I say name him whatever you want. Though don’t name him, say, Ken. That’s a terrible name.”

Leia almost smiled. Then, "I’ll think about it. Really. Truly.”

***

Speaking with Han wasn’t really easy, but it had to be done, Leia thought. Talking about names. “I’ve been...wondering about naming the baby,” she said. 

”Yeah.” Han sighed. "There was my dad. Benak...”

”Benak.” Leia balanced the name, weighing it on her tongue. Then, “I suppose we could name him after your father. Ben for short.”

”Not a bad idea. Assuming it’s a boy,” Han said. “Could be a girl. Your spirit and all...”

Leia smiled faintly. “Whoever they are, we’ll all love them. No matter what.”


	2. To Be Strong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben is born, and Anakin and Leia start to heal their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

It was after what seemed like interminable months that Leia’s water actually broke, and she actually went into labor. Even with Han sitting next to her, letting her hold his hand — Leia at least hoped that she could use her meditative techniques that she had been practicing to her advantage. Making the labor easier. She pushed. Kept pushing. Until there was a head, and then the wail of a baby, and there was Ben Solo, wailing loud enough that Leia could have cried in relief. 

Luke all but burst through the door, followed by Shara and Kes, and others. It was like they were all trying to get in. 

Leia looked up at them, smiled. “The group of you just look squished in. All of you.” Then, “Where’s Anakin?”

”He’s...showing up separately,” Luke said. Leia supposed that it was a tactful way of saying that the others didn’t want to see him. 

Little Poe Dameron was all but bouncing on his heels; he was three now, and had clearly never seen a baby before. “What is that?” he said. 

”That?” Leia scooped baby Ben into her arms, careful to support the head. “That’s my son. Ben.”

”And he’s beautiful,” Han said, softly. Leia swore that she had never heard such reverence in Han’s voice, such adoration. “Hey, kiddo,” he said, softly to Ben. “I’m your daddy.” Ben blinked up at him, clearly curious as to who exactly this big guy with the crooked smile was. 

Poe trotted forward, holding his mother’s hand, just to stare at Ben. “Wow!” he exclaimed. “He’s so small.”

”All babies are small,” Leia said. “It’s one of those reasons you want to protect them.”

Ben blinked up at Poe, clearly curious. 

”Hi, Ben!” Poe chirped. “I’m Poe. Poe Dameron. I’m gonna be your best friend. This is my mama — she was a pilot at Endor and Jakku; the lucky...”

Leia smiled even as Poe began rambling on about all the people that Ben would know. 

”...and I heard your grandpa’s scary, but I don’t think he’s scary!” Poe chirped. “Not anymore. He’s just really sad.” He faltered. 

There was an uncomfortable amount of silence there, just for a while. 

”Yeah.” Shara said, after a while. “He is, Poe."

***

It struck Leia, later on, what Poe had said about her father even as Anakin crossed into the room, looking a bit harried.

”You came,” Leia said, smiling faintly. 

”Yeah.”

”Poe doesn’t think you’re that scary,” Leia said. 

”Of course.” Anakin did chuckle, faintly. Affectionately. “That youngling has so much love for everyone I don’t think he’d be able to choose just one person.”

”No.”

”Snoke’s pretty interested in, as he put it, ‘the offspring unit’. He couldn’t make it; he had training, but...he made this.” Anakin pulled out a card that read YOU ARE PROMISING, NEPHEW UNIT, in Snoke’s almost elegant handwriting. Leia was well-practiced in not giggling. 

“It’s lovely,” Leia said. “Tell him that.”

”He really is interested in basically becoming a great-uncle.” Snoke had officially taken the Skywalker name after the Battle of Jakku, as had Trias.

Considering Snoke’s young age, Leia could safely say that that was at least one detail about their family that was...interesting. 

"So,” Anakin said, “This is Ben.” Then, “Did you name him after Obi-Wan?”

”Han’s father, actually.” Leia appreciated all Obi-Wan had done, but at the same time, she doubted she could look at him the same way again. “Benak.”

”A small galaxy.” Anakin squatted next to the baby. “He’s beautiful, Leia. Absolutely beautiful. A gift.”

Leia did smile.

”I wasn’t there for you and Luke when you were born, but I hope I can be with Ben.”

”Do you regret it?” Leia said. 

Anakin nodded. “Everything.”

It struck Leia, in that moment, that she was feeling an uncomfortable stir of pity. He wasn’t solely man or solely monster. He was...both. Someone who had dabbled with both. 

”It can be an opportunity for you to be better,” she said. “A better man. A better grandfather.”

”Yes. I’ll take it.” Anakin looked down at Ben, at his black hair. “He looks like his great-grandmother. A little."

”My grandmother?”

Anakin smiled faintly. “She didn’t have to wield a weapon to be fearless. She just...was."

Hesitantly, he reached out to smooth a stray lock of hair from Ben’s forehead. 

”I’m your grandpa,” Anakin said. “Your not-so-scary grandpa...nearly fifty, but still. You have the biggest family in the galaxy, Ben, and you’ll never truly be alone.”

Ben babbled something faintly. Anakin didn’t seem to understand it, but he and Leia both smiled. 

In time, Leia thought, their relationship would heal — even if she didn’t have to forgive him. 


	3. Snippet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A snapshot of Ben’s babyhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Ben got bigger. Of course he got bigger. It was something that Leia was still amazed by, if she was to be perfectly honest. He was occasionally...vocal about his displeasure, but Leia knew that she’d be more concerned if he wasn’t, really. He was a baby, after all. 

And even with that, Ben was a very dear baby. The way that he occasionally babbled something that Leia supposed was his attempt to put words together, the times he smiled up at, well, any member of his new family...he was a dear boy. Leia did wonder, occasionally, how she was going to tell him the truth about herself, about Han...everyone, really. 

***

”I admit I am...scared, Han.” It was when Ben had been put in his crib for the night and Leia, not for the first time, was realizing how much she loved this one child. Like her body was holding a tsunami of emotions at bay. "I know I am brave, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be scared too."

"So am I."

”What are we going to tell Ben, when he gets older? About...all of us?"

”Well, we'll just...give him breadcrumbs, right? See what he can handle." Han said. 

”Breadcrumbs.”

”I just don’t think we can explain all this stuff in one go to a newborn.”

”True.” Did Ben even understand what Leia was saying, some of the time? Did he even understand what was going on, at all?

Leia couldn’t help but be curious how much Ben comprehended.

"We’ll tell him bits and pieces,” Leia said. “If he asks. If. Hopefully, he’ll have faith in all of us.”

”Of course he will. Kids do.” Han did sound, admittedly, a little nervous. Uncharacteristically so. It was a lot like, for how much Han tried to act like he was guarded and tough, he was as vulnerable as anything. “Kids trust people. It takes a lot to break that trust.”

”Yeah." Leia could not help but be scared even thinking about it. What could be done to break that trust. She hoped that Ben would never come across...well, anything like that. Anything at all. "We’ll protect him, Han. However long we can.”

***

Leia sat in the reclining chair later, near Ben’s crib. Ben just seemed tired, no doubt from playing in the bouncer. 

”Our family’s...complicated. I’m not going to lie. There’s layers of it that are complicated. But...it’s a solid family. Your father and I love you, Ben, and so does everyone else. Our lives are interlinked, with just about everyone here. And don’t doubt what you’re about to do. Ever. Even if things don’t go according to plan, you’ll always end up where you need to be.”

No answer. Ben seemed to be listening, though, blinking up at her with foggy eyes.

Leia couldn’t say that she knew where she was going with this, as she continued to talk. About the galaxy, about lessons Bail and Breha had taught her. She talked, and though she was drained and her voice was a bit rough, she could say she was happy when she was done. Watching Ben look up at her, and then crack a smile. 

It was one of those moments where Leia smiled back at him. Where it was worth it, just seeing her son smile. Toothlessly, but still a smile. 

”Yes,” Leia murmured fondly, “You’re an adorable little boy and we all love you very much."

Ben did giggle, in that moment — and Leia could say that this, all of it, was the closest she had to peace. 

***

It was when Han got upstairs himself that he saw two beautiful sights: the closest to Iego he could really get. His wife, beautiful and peaceful-looking (Han wished he could do more to bring her the peace that she didn’t have enough of), reclining on the chair, his son sleeping in the crib. Han couldn’t say he’d felt this strong a desire to keep someone happy and safe — not since Qi’ra, and stars only knew where she was now. 

It wasn’t the matter of Leia redeeming him. It was more of a case of Leia thawing him, unearthing qualities he’d thought were long-buried. 

Ben too. Everyone. 

Han draped a blanket over Leia, carefully covering her shoulders. He looked down at her. Leia was strong, durasteel strong, but she didn’t always have to be. 

Han sat opposite her, in one of the other reclining chairs, and closed his eyes. He could only imagine that they presented an odd picture — but a wonderful one. 


End file.
